Staff of Borderlands Theater

CONTRACT STAFF

PRODUCING DIRECTOR

Barclay Goldsmith

co-founded Borderlands Theater in 1986 and has remained as producing director since that time.  In addition he has directed many of the company’s productions under the Border Playwrights Project and has been instrumental in commissioning and developing new plays, many of which have gone on to be produced at other theaters across the country.  Founding member of the National New Play Network (NNPN), an organization of 26 theaters which since 1999, has championed the development and production of new plays, recently developed the U.S. /Mexico Program with strong ties to theaters in Mexico and artist exchanges.  His work in Mexico includes directing at El Circulo Teatral and the Istituto Nacional de Bellas Artes.  His award winning production of La Mujer Que Cayo del Cielo/The Woman Who Fell From the Sky, by Victor Hugo Rascon Banda has represented Mexico at the UNESCO International Theater Festival (2005) and toured most of Mexico and South America.  His awards include the Arizona Arts Award, a nomination as best director, and (2009) Mexico City Critics Association for Cita a Ciegas/Blind Date by Mario Diamont.  He has addressed “borders” and theater issues at conferences in both Mexico and the U.S.  Most recently he was guest director at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington, D.C. National MFA Playwrights program sponsored by NNPN and Stanford University.  He was a co-founder of Teatro Libertad, a theater collective in Tucson active during the 1970’s and holds a BA in English/Drama (Stanford University) and an MFA in Theater Directing (Carnegie Mellon University).

ASSOCIATE ARTISTIC DIRECTOR

Eva Zorrilla Tessler

is a native of Mexico City.  She holds an MFA in Theater Arts and an MA in anthropology from the University of Arizona.  During the 80’s, she danced, acted, choreographed and taught in Brazil at the Universidad Estadual de Campinas.  Since moving to Tucson in 1989, she has choreographed dance theater works with the Zenith Dance Collective.  Associate Artistic Director of Borderlands’ she performs, choreographs, and directs with the company.  Highlights of her work include: Directing -Luis Alfaro’s, Oedipus el Rey; Victor Hugo Rascon Banda’s, Deseo/Desire; and Jose Rivera’s, School of the Americas; choreography for the world premiere of Old Matador at Arizona Theater Company and movement for the film Roosters.  She co-wrote the play 13 Days/13 Dias: How the New Zapatistas Shook the World, which toured nationally by the San Francisco Mime Troupe in 1996.  Tessler, is a founding member of the Latina Dance Project, a performance group that supports the contemporary voice of Latina dance.  She is the recipient of the Arizona Commission on the Arts, “Individual Artists Project” grant (2006) and the, Individual Artist LULAC Albert Soto Arts Award (2008).

EDUCATION OUTREACH MANAGER

Alida Wilson-Gunn

Arizona native is currently directing the Coyote y Culebra Youth Project: Wind in the Shadows, an original piece of theater inspired and created by students as part of an in-school workshop/writing/performance project.  She has performed in several Borderlands’ productions including: Esmeralda, Earthquake Chica; Picuka, Oliver Mayer’s Conjunto; Cristina, Electricidad; and Jocasta, Oediups el Rey, by Luis Alfaro.  Other credits: Kate, Rouge Theaters’ Immortal Longings; Frida Kahlo, Still Life with Chamber Music Plus; Abby, Fiction for Beowulf Alley (nominated best actress 06 MAC award); Killer, Killer in Love with Camilla’s Theater, NY; and her own one-woman show Vein, NY.  Technical credits include Assistant Director/Stage Manager/Lighting/Sound Technician; Maggie/Magalita; Frozen, Beowulf Alley Theater; Caged, NY; One Woman Series, Camilla’s Theater, NY; and The Stella Adler Theater, LA.  Alida attended the National Association of Latino Arts and Culture institute, worked for Herberger Theater in Phoenix with their Youth-at-Risk program, and interned at Mark Taper Forum in L.A with the Latino Theater Initiative.

LITERARY MANAGER/GRANT WRITER

Toni Press-Coffman

was born and raised the Bronx.  She has lived in 14 cities in the United States and done artist residencies in 11 more. She wrote her play about Richard III (Two Days of Grace At Middleham) at Hawthornden Castle outside Edinburgh from where she traveled to Richard’s birthplace, to Middleham Castle where he grew up, and to Bosworth Field where he died. Written in a rage about Shakespeare’s acting as a Tudor propagandist, the play traveled to the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in summer 2000 following productions in Tucson at Borderlands and San Francisco.

With a grant from the Arizona Commission on the Arts, she wrote Touch at coffee shops and motels along the Pacific Coast as she traveled to and from the Oregon Shakespeare Festival.  The play premiered at Damesrocket Theatre in Tucson and opened Off-Broadway at the Women’s Project in 2003 following a production at Actors Theatre of Louisville’s Humana Festival.

She wrote La Sangre Llama in Indianapolis in collaboration with that city’s Santeria community and Coyote y Culebre,(Borderlands)  in collaboration with second, third and fourth graders in Tucson public schools.  She wrote That Slut! during an NEA/TCG Playwright Residency at the Phoenix Theatre in Indianapolis, where it premiered. Inspired by our absurd collective obsession with Bill Clinton’s licentious encounter with Monica Lewinsky, the play was subsequently produced in Tucson and San Francisco and as part of The Kitchen Dog New Play Festival in Dallas.

She has written 20 plays, which have been produced throughout the country, including in New York, Los Angeles, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Portland (OR), Tucson, Columbus, Miami, and Baltimore.  She has had work developed at the Sundance Institute (All Ye Faithful), Playlabs (Trucker Rhapsody), the Minneapolis’ Playwrights Center (Touch), and the Eugene O’Neill National Playwrights Conference (Stand).  Stand subsequently received the Brodkin Award given annually to support the career of a National Playwrights Conference participant, and was produced at The Purple Rose Theatre outside Ann Arbor.  She has received commissions from the National New Play Network, the Sloan Foundation, Bloomington Playwrights Project, and the Phoenix Theatre (Indianapolis). Both Touch and Holy Spirit On Grand Avenue won the Arizona State Playwriting Award.  Although she can’t prove it, she believes she has had more readings and workshops of her plays (that did not lead to full productions) than any other living American playwright.  Her most recent play, Armor, was written with a grant from the Sloan Foundation.

In addition to writing plays, she has taught playwriting at the undergraduate and graduate levels at The Ohio State University, The University of Arizona, Arizona State University, Chatham College, Stanford University, and the University of Wisconsin, and mentored numerous playwrights through her work as a Literary Manager and production Dramaturge.

Press-Coffman lives with her husband Glen, cat Gus, and dog Grace in Tucson, where she writes and acts, and is Borderlands Theater’s Literary Manager.  Most mornings, she is excited to wake up in such a beautiful place.

BUSINESS MANAGER

Noell Rodriguez

a native of the southwest region, joined the Borderlands team in 2009.  She has 18 years of experience in investment, financial and executive management and holds a Bachelor of Science Degree in Business Administration from University of Phoenix.  She is a graduate of the 2004 United Way’s Multicultural Leadership Development Program and a recent past President of the League of Women’s Voters of Greater Tucson, former Vice President and portfolio Manager of Mission Management & Trust Co, Supervising Branch Manager of Sutro & Company, Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley Dean Witter, and Marketing Associate at Merrill Lynch.  As a compliment to her professional career, Noell has volunteered on many non-profit boards of directors. 

BOX OFFICE

Maria Elena Sandoval

Tucson native, was salutatorian in her class at St. Gregory College Preparatory School. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science and Spanish from Wellesley College, where as part of her degree program, she studied at Universidad de Cordoba, Spain. Sandoval’s professional experience includes Business and Property Administrator for the Tucson Airport Authority, legal assistant in areas of real estate, commercial finance, banking, and estate planning/probate and she is currently Chief of Operations at Concierge Tucson. She is also a licensed real estate agent, specializing in negotiating/writing contracts, tenant development, and property management.

BOARD OF DIRECTORS

• Mohyeddin Abdulaziz
• Patricia Benton, VICE PRESIDENT
• Tanya Buffalo, SECRETARY
• Gloria Corral
• Ronald David, M.D.
• Lynette Elias, TREASURER
• Eldonna Fisher
• Barclay Goldsmith
• Alison Hughes
• Catherene Morton, Ph. D, J.D.
• Diego Navarrette
• Claisalia Robertson
• Eldon Schafer
• Michael Weber
• Mike Wilson, BOARD PRESIDENT

• Ex-Officio:
  • Thomas Benavidez
  • Guadalupe Castillo
  • Frank de la Cruz
  • Mary Malaby
  • Raquel Rubio Goldsmith